


A Place to call Home

by mvo60



Category: Chicago Fire
Genre: Friendship, Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-15
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:48:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 16,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24740317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mvo60/pseuds/mvo60
Summary: A story about Sylvie and Matt relationship.It takes place a few weeks after Emily departure.
Relationships: Sylvie Brett/Matthew Casey
Comments: 128
Kudos: 176





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone ! This is my first fanfiction. I really love Sylvie and Matt friendship and wanted to write about them. I hope you will enjoy it, the first two chapters are short so I decided to post the third chapter too :) 
> 
> English is not my first language so I apologised for the spelling and grammar mistakes.
> 
> Of course I do not own any of the characters from Chicago fire or the story !

All the guys from 51 were in the common room. Mouch was obviously sitting on the couch with Tuesday beside him. Ritter and Gallo were preparing lunch while chatting about a post they both saw on Instagram and the rest of the guys were just playing cards, reading the newspapers or talking. As for Stella, she was reading a non-fiction book about female firefighters in the CFD, a book full of good information that she could use for Girls on Fire. 

Casey and Severide appeared in the room and walked towards the coffee machine while discussing the drills they were hoping to do in the afternoon. When Severide was finally able to pour himself a cup of coffee Sylvie Brett and Violet Lin, the new girl, came back from a call. Sylvie continued walking towards the bunk room and didn’t even look at her colleagues. What she didn’t realise was that a lot of worried eyes were following her. 

Violet entered the common room with the desire to grab something to eat.

“How was the call kiddo ?” asked Hermann 

“Pretty standard, just a guy who cut himself while cooking his lunch”.

“And how was the ride on the ambo ?” asked an anxious Stella. 

“Quiet, really quiet”. Responded Violet while walking towards Gallo and Ritter. 

Violet’s response prompted a knowing glance between Casey and Stella, both of them knew that the other was pretty worried about Sylvie. Since Emily left the firehouse a few weeks ago Sylvie became more and more reserved. She was only talking to the others when it was necessary, that is to say when they were on calls. This change of character was definitively disturbing because Sylvie has always been known by her colleagues and friends for her warm smiles, her infectious laughter and her huge heart. But right now she was only a shadow of herself. 

Of course, nobody could really blame her for this. She lost her biological mother two month ago, after only knowing her for a few weeks, and now her partner of the past two years and who became one of her best friends and confident left for medical school. She would still be able to see Emily often but nothing would ever be the same and she was forced to build a new relationship with a new partner, this was hard, tiring and the last thing she wanted to do.   
Sylvie’s state definitively had an impact on 51. Stella who was Sylvie’s best friend was really concerned but was unable to help her. She tried to involve Sylvie in everything she was doing for Girls on fire but Sylvie was reluctant and always found an excuse. Cruz was always inviting her to lunch or dinner with Chloe and him but he only faced refusals. Casey was checking on her everyday on and off shift but she was barely responding to his texts and her common answer on shift was “I’m fine Casey”. 

The reality was that it was the first time, in almost two years, that Casey and Sylvie were talking so little. He was unable to connect with her and it was really difficult for him. For the past few months their relationship evolved in something different, it wasn’t just a friendship anymore, and he knew that. So the fact that they weren’t talking and that he felt her pulling away from him was really hurtful. 

Obviously, 51 being a family, everyone else was also simply worried.


	2. Chapter 2

Sylvie entered the bunk room and retrieved to her bunk. She sat down on her bed, took her bag and took out a yellow piece of paper which she looked with intensity. She knew that everyone was looking at her when she came back from the call with Violet but she couldn’t face her colleagues, her friends. Since Emily left, which was so soon after her mother’s death, she just felt empty, everyone was leaving or just moving on with their life.

Severide was walking to his officer’s quarters and also checking on Sylvie from a certain distance. At that moment the bell went on for Ambo 61 and Sylvie started to run through the bunk room but what she didn’t see was that her yellow paper had just fallen to the ground even though she tried in a hurry to bury it in her bag.

Severide wasn’t a very curious man, he respected everyone’s right to privacy and secrets but with Sylvie being in a tough spot he just wanted to make sure she was okay, especially because he had a weird feeling and he didn’t know why. He took the paper from the ground and immediately recognized it. It was a demand for a transfer already half completed. The worse was that it was a demand to be transferred outside of the CFD.

He couldn’t believe it, Sylvie had been at 51 for almost seven years and got along with everyone really great. He knew she was suffering and having a hard time but he just thought she needed time, like he did when Benny died. It was a shock and while he sat on her bed he made a promise to himself, he was not going to let her go without a fight.

The night following the shift everyone, except Sylvie, was at Molly’s and it was a crowded night.

“So no Sylvie tonight either?” asked Hermann to the members of 51 who were sitting at the bar.

“I texted her before I came here, offered her a drive but she didn’t respond. I don’t know what to do anymore. “Answered a sad looking Cruz.

“Just be her friend and don’t stop asking her to join you.” Severide was the one offering the advice as he was taking a sip of his scotch. Stella, Casey, Chloe and Hermann looked at him with a hint of surprise. Cruz was a little bit offended by Severide’s simple answer, it was as if Severide implied that he was not a present friend. Severide saw the look that Cruz shot at him and decided to respond with honesty.

“Joe I am not saying that you aren’t a good friend. Everyone knows that you are. What I am trying to say is that when I lost Benny it was really hard, obviously it is not exactly the same situation with Brett, but I know what it feels like to lose a parent and having a lot of regrets. What she needs right now is people continuing to show up, to propose her drinks and dinners even if she says no or doesn’t reply. She doesn’t want to do anything with us right now, I didn’t want to do anything with you either after Benny’s death. But one day she’ll walk through this door and will smile to us with this huge smile of hers”.

“I hope you are right” whispered Casey. Severide patted his arm knowing that it was hard for him, especially since he knew that Casey was starting to have feelings for Brett. Casey and Severide never talked about that but it was not necessary, they’ve been friends for so many years, he perfectly knew is best friend.

“Stella babe” called Severide “I’ll see you at the loft, I have to see a friend”. Stella nodded while being a little bit surprised and intrigued.

Severide went outside and walk to his car to drive to this mysterious friend’s apartment.

While Severide was leaving the bar, Casey took his phone out and sent a simple text to Sylvie “ _I hope you are alright. Missing you at Molly’s_ ”.


	3. Chapter 3

Sylvie was in her empty leaving room. Joe moved out after the wedding and took the stuffs he had bring to the apartment. Of course Otis’ belongings went to his family with the exception of his favourite film poster that was still hanging in the living room. And Emily never really decorated the shared rooms of the apartment, she just added a lamp and some candles here and there. 

Sylvie was watching Dead to me season 2 in her comfy pyjamas, well she wasn’t really following because her mind just kept wondering. She made a note to herself to watch the season again, she adored the first one and didn’t want to miss the second one just because she was depressed. 

Her phone buzzed, she watched it and a little smile rose on her face “I hope you are alright. Missing you at Molly’s”. Gosh she really had a soft spot for Matt but at the moment she just felt that this relationship, if there was ever one, was doomed to be. Everyone was always leaving and she couldn’t help but feel that he would eventually leave Chicago, and her, to go to Puerto Rico. 

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. She got up and reluctantly walked to the door. She definitively didn’t expect to find the squad lieutenant at her door. 

“Severide, what are you doing here?”

“Well nice to see you too Brett” Chuckled Severide while showing a plastic bag. “Brought some beers” 

“I am not really up for company”. 

“Well I was not asking, I was saying” responded Severide while entering the apartment. “In my memory this apartment was a little bit fuller.” 

“Cruz had a lot of stuffs in the living room, he took them for his new place with Chloe”. Sylvie stopped talking and started assessing the situation, Severide was bringing glasses from the kitchen and sat down on the sofa like everything was totally normal. 

“Why are you really here? “ Asked an anxious Sylvie. 

“Told you I brought you some beer”. He turned his attention to the TV which was still on “How are you liking the new season? Stella and I are halfway. Oh we haven’t seen this part, I am just gonna turn it off”. 

“Severide, don’t take it the wrong way but… we never really hung out just the two of us outside of the firehouse”.

“True. You look a little bit anxious, do you think it’s weird that I am here?”

“I am not anxious because you are here. I am anxious because you are not being honest about why you are here”. Sylvie was an insightful person and Severide decided to let her finished talking before slowly putting the yellow paper out of his pocket and putting it on the coffee table. Sylvie eyes widened. She left the firehouse earlier without knowing where she put it, she dreaded that someone had found it and someone did. 

“Where did you find it?”

“In the bunk room, you lost it while running to your last call”. A strange silence settled in the room, Sylvie’s eyes where fixed on the paper and she really didn’t want to look at Severide. After a long minute she finally did and she just saw sadness and confusion. Severide understood that she wasn’t going to be the first to talk so he did. 

“Sylvie are you really going to leave us for Indiana? I thought this part of your life was over.”

“You don’t understand Kelly” whispered Sylvie feeling the tears coming.

“Well explain it to me. I know that it’s a really difficult moment for you, especially with Julie’s death. I was at your place not so long ago”

“It’s not exactly the same”. 

“No it is not. I had years with my dad but for so long we didn’t have a real relationship and now I am left with a lot of regrets” honestly and sadly stated Severide.

“But I have a feeling that Julie’s death and Emily’s departure are just the tip of the iceberg”

“I… I just feel lost” said Sylvie with a quiet voice. “I feel stuck”. 

Severide softly put a hand on Sylvie arm and gently asked “How so?”. 

“When I look back to those past two years I only see black spots. Gabby left, Otis died, I ended an engagement, I met Julie and lost her almost immediately and now Emily is gone”. 

“Listen, it would be a lie to say that those two past years were great but there also were some pretty amazing things happening to you Sylvie” Severide was watching her kindly “You worked so much, and you are a damn good PIC” Sylvie chuckled a little bit to that statement. “Cruz finally got married which is a miracle. And a lot of your friendships deepened. I watched Stella and you build this beautiful and honest friendship. I am grateful to know that she can count on you every time she needs it. I saw Stella, Emily and you kick asses way more times than I can count. I can continue all night stating all the amazing things you did and how many lives you saved”. 

Severide was truly happy that his girlfriend has such an amazing best friend like Sylvie. Now Sylvie was crying, her friendships with the girls were so important for her. Severide got up and took her in his arms “I understand why you shut everyone out, I did the same thing after Benny died but you are not alone. We will be there every step of the way”. Sylvie cried a little bit more before getting out of the hug.

“Thanks Kelly. Who would have thought that you would be the one who would console me? Maybe we should hang out outside of 51 more” laughed Sylvie.

“Well it would be my pleasure. Seriously Sylvie, I am maybe not showing it but you are really important to me. We’ve been friends for almost seven years, it is not nothing, you are one of my most stable relationship I have and the only girl I ever asked to go to Las Vegas with”. 

Sylvie laughed to that last bit of statement, they never really talked about that Las Vegas story but she always thought that their friendship really begun in a fun way “Well you are the only guy who offered me a trip to Las Vegas. You are important to me too and I am glad that you are making my best friend happy” insisted Sylvie while she was widely smiling. 

“A full Sylvie Brett smile, I think my mission is accomplished” Joked Severide. “Are you going to be okay? Do you want me to ask Stella to come for the night or I can stay longer if you want?” Asked a way more serious Kelly Severide. 

“I am better, thank you Kelly”. She kissed him on the cheek and then moved to the kitchen. 

“I have to ask, why Indiana, is it about Kyle? Do you have regrets?” He wanted to mention Casey but the fact that the transfer paper was for the fire department of Indiana made him hesitate. He didn’t want to throw his best friend in the middle of a complicated situation. 

“No, no regrets, Indiana is just safe I guess.” Responded Sylvie honestly. When she left Kyle a few months ago she was sure that it was a good decision, he wasn’t the man for her. When the idea of transferring popped in her head, during her darkest moments, the only place she could think of was Indiana, essentially because it was the only place she truly knew, and a place where she would not be afraid. 

Severide was headed to the door and then turned around. He looked Sylvie right in the eyes and finally said what he wanted to say the whole time. 

“Don’t shut him out, Casey I mean. He really cares about you and I am not talking in a platonic way” He paused and observed her reaction. She apparently was not sure what to make with this piece of information. 

“Enjoy the beers“ He winked at her, and smiled once more before getting out of the apartment. 

Sylvie couldn’t believe it. Kelly just confirmed that Casey was feeling something else. Until this moment she was persuaded it was only one-sided. Maybe something good could finally happened. Maybe she could have a chance at happiness. She felt more hopeful that she had been in the past few weeks and it felt so great.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, I published chapters 4 and 5 today, enjoy !

It was 11:30 pm when Severide finally came back to the loft. Stella and Casey were still up. Casey was at the kitchen table working on some renovations plans and Stella was lying on the sofa reading.

“Hey you are finally back. Are you going tell us where you went? You know I can be a jealous girlfriend if I want to.” Severide laughed at what his girlfriend just said. He knew she could be jealous, she showed it just a few months ago with Seager but she really had no reason to be.

“I was with Brett” simply replied Kelly as he walked to the sink to get some water. Both his girlfriend and his best friend watched him like he was a crazy man and glanced at each other.

“Hey what’s with those looks” he asked. “Brett is my friend too and she needed someone who wasn’t afraid to tell her the truth but who would also listen to her”.

“And what is the truth?” asked a confused Casey.

“That yes those past few months, hell those past two years, have been tough, especially for her, but there were also a lot of silver linings. I also reaffirmed the fact that we will always be here for her”. 

“Well how was it? How was she?” demanded an impatient Stella.

“It was a hard conversation but also a good one. She is going to be okay. She has great things to look for.” Severide shot a look at Casey who was lost in his thoughts and didn’t saw it but Stella did and softly smiled. She just wanted Sylvie and Casey to be happy, and was pretty certain that they would be great together. “You are coming to bed Stella?” She nodded and started to walk to their room. “Good night Captain”.

“Night Kidd” absently responded Casey.

“Good night Case. Don’t go to bed too late, you are working tomorrow”.

“Yes mom” replied Casey rolling his eyes.

Casey was happy that Sylvie talked to someone but he was a little bit confused and disappointed. Sylvie and Kelly never were really close. They really liked each other and had each other back but never had deep conversations. Yes, he was jealous, he wanted to be the person with whom she could confide. After all, he had been this person for her those last few months and he was happy she trusted him to be a confident. They did built a safe and honest relationship and it was such a joy for him, he never truly had that kind of relation with anyone, it was new and exciting. 

Casey started to pull away all of his plans, entered his room still thinking about Sylvie and this whole situation, he was lost and didn’t know what to do. The moment he sat down on his bed and let out a little sigh was the moment his phone lit up. He smiled immediately when he saw the sender of the text. He settled comfortably in his bed and opened it.

_I am better now thanks to your best friend – Sylvie_

_I can lend him to you if you want – Matt_

_It’s okay, I know you need him. And I have the other half of the Stellaride couple as best friend – Sylvie_

_Yeah, the other half is not bad either – Matt_

_I am glad you are okay – Matt_

Sylvie didn’t respond immediately, he saw that she started to write and then it stopped until…

 _I missed you too – Sylvie._ She just responded to him saying earlier that he missed her at Molly’s but it felt more profound than that, it felt like she meant more and he was relieved.

_Do you have a little free time tomorrow? I would like to talked to you about something – Sylvie_

_I am booked all day with a construction gig… - Matt_

_But you can join me there for lunch if you want? – Matt_

_Okay, I’ll bring lunch. Text me the address and the time – Sylvie_

_I will. Good night Sylvie – Matt_

_Good night Matt - Sylvie_

__

__

Matt felt intrigued not knowing what she wanted to talk about, but he also felt good. He had a feeling everything was going to be okay. He fell asleep with a little smile ignoring the fact that Sylvie, in another part of Chicago, also fell asleep smiling in her bed.

__


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I published chapters 4 and 5 today, enjoy :)

Casey texted the address to Sylvie pretty early on the next morning. She saw it and was excited, the house that Casey was renovating was in her favourite Chicago neighbourhood. It wasn’t too far away from 51 or from Molly’s and it was a neighbourhood with a lot of young families, nice shops and restaurants. It felt like a small town in the big windy city and she loved it.

She drove to the place and found a parking space in front of the house. The house was great, it surely had a lot of repairs, and anyone could see it from the outside. It needed to be painted again, the windows were outdated and the wind could probably pass through during the winters. From what she could see the house probably had a nice backyard. After seeing the exterior she was certainly impatient to discover the interior and the work that was needed.

She walk through the front door. On her right was a big living room with a lot of bookshelves integrated in the walls and a big fireplace. The living room was connected to a smaller room surely a dining room, it was a great space with an opening on the garden and a beautiful parquet. She continued her tour without even trying to find Casey, this place was just so great and she was hypnotized. On her left was a study as big as the living room and then the kitchen. The kitchen was really outdated, everything needed to be redone but the light was great and the room had the perfect size. She started to open a door in the kitchen when a hand landed on her shoulder and she let out a little scream before seeing that it was Casey.

“Oh my God Casey you scared the hell out of me” she said with her voice still trembling a little.

“Sorry, I heard some noise, came down and saw you inspected the room. You really didn’t hear me coming?” He was surprised, he was not the most discreet person.

“I didn’t” She stepped closer to him. “I think I was just so excited the moment I entered this house. It has so much potential and it is such a great neighbourhood. I love this part of Chicago. My favourite bookstore is literally two streets away” she declared excitedly.

“I didn’t know you were so enthusiastic about neighbourhoods. But I guess it’s something to expect from a lover of renovations. Do you want to see the rest of the house? I started the work with the first and second floors. It is just some painting and changing the floorings. The majority of the work is on the ground floor and the exterior”

“Can’t wait to see the bedrooms. How many are they?” Sylvie looked at him with her contagious smile.

“Four bedrooms, two bathrooms. And the basement can be transformed into a small apartment for guests. Come on let’s go, you can put the food on the counter”. He took her hand and led her out of the kitchen, they climbed the stairs and started the visit.

As Matt was telling her about the first floor she realised they were still holding hands and it was more than fine with her, it felt easy and comfortable. He talked with passion, explaining that for now the rooms would stay white and maybe later it would change. She didn’t really understood why his client hadn’t already chosen the colours for the bedrooms, she totally would have, but it didn’t really feel important so she didn’t ask Matt. They entered the parental suit and Sylvie couldn’t help herself and gasped a little. She grabbed one of Matt arm with her two hands and turned to face him, her eyes met with his.

“This bedroom is huge. This is truly the dream house. Your client is so lucky”

“He is” Matt responded with a low voice, his eyes still fixed on Sylvie who had just let go of his arm and started wondering in the bedroom.

“I supposed you are working in this bedroom right now” she declared showing the buckets of paint and the paint rollers in one corner of the room. “I would have liked to be dressed appropriately to help you” she sighed.

“Well…” he started when she turned to face him “you can take off your shoes and I have a sweater than you can wear so you don’t get stained”. 

“Matt Casey, you know how to talk to me” laughed Sylvie and this was the most beautiful sound to his ears. She started to take off her shoes, then her coat and he wished she had not stopped there. God he really really liked her.

“Matt are you okay? You are staring at me” she grinned.

“Yeah, sorry, it is just nice to hear you laugh, I missed it” he replied with sincerity.

“Well that’s what I wanted to talked to you about” She replied quietly while he was watching her with confusion.

“Not my laugh, more my mood of those past few weeks. Maybe we could talk about it while we eat. I almost forget that I brought Chinese food”

“Let’s eat, the painting can wait. We can warm up the food in the kitchen”.

She followed him down the hall and to the kitchen. She didn’t know what it was but she really felt good in this house, the energies were great. Maybe it was just the fact that she was there with Matt Casey.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapters 6 and 7 are published today !   
> Thank you for reading, commenting and leaving kuddos :)

Matt and Sylvie sat at the kitchen counter and ate in the Chinese boxes, they were no plates or glasses in the house. A silence settled when they started to eat, neither one of them knew what to say. Matt didn’t want to pressure Sylvie into talking to him about her problems. Sylvie didn’t want to ruin this moment but she knew she had to, she had to talk and be honest with him. After all he had been by her side during every difficult moments those past few years, she owed him the truth. 

“I am sorry” she said trying to lock eyes with him. He looked up from his food and eyed her curiously. He didn’t think she had anything to say sorry for. She saw that he didn’t understand where she was going so she took a deep breath and started explaining herself.

“I am for pushing you away those past few weeks, for pushing everyone away, but especially you. You didn’t deserve it, you have been a rock for me for a long time now and I am so grateful to have you in my life. I don’t really know why I acted like that, I was feeling too many things at the same time and I didn’t know how to process them. I didn’t know how to talk about what I felt. Emily’s departure from 51 was too much too soon after Julie’s death. It just confirmed the fact that everyone is always leaving”. 

She started to feel emotional and paused there. She looked up at Casey and saw that his eyes where like a kaleidoscope of emotions. She could see sadness and kindness but she could also noticed that he was grateful that she said everything she said. And it was true, he was grateful, grateful that she was being honest with him, grateful that she didn’t restrain herself, grateful that she thought he deserved the truth. He wanted to reassure her, he was absolutely not mad at her, in the contrary. 

“Just after Julie’s death I told you that I would be there for you and it is still true. You needed some alone time to feel the feelings and to process, it was hard for me but I understood. I am not the most talkative and open person, who am I to judge the way you grieve and manage the losses in your life. I can’t hold anything against you Sylvie. You are the most genuine person, the most loving and generous person I have ever met and…”.

Matt stopped talking when she took his hand and squeezed it, she had tears in her eyes and her voice was trembling when she started talking again and hesitantly said “If I want to be totally honest with you I have to put all the cards on the table and show you something”.  
She got up, bent to where her bag was on the floor and took something in it. She put a folded paper in front of Matt and encouraged him with a smile to open it. His eyes widened and darkened. 

“You are leaving ? For Indiana. I… I don’t understand” Sylvie gave him the transfer paper. He was shocked and thought his heart was being ripped from his chest. Everything he was starting to imagine, a future with her and their potential kids, a house, a life that they both deserved, everything was destroyed merely by a yellow piece of paper. 

She was standing beside him and she could see the immense sadness that took over him and it answered every question she had, every doubt about how he could feel about her disappeared. She delicately put each of her hands on his cheeks and made him look at her. 

“I am not leaving. In a moment of profound sadness I believed that I needed to leave Chicago and build something new far from the sorrow and losses so I chose Indiana because it was the easiest place and safest one. Kelly finished to convince me that it was not a solution, well not a good one at least. But I think deep down I already knew that, I just needed someone to remind me of the good aspects of my life”. 

“So this has nothing to do with the Chaplain ?” He wanted to make sure, she already left Chicago once for Indiana and it was because of Kyle. 

“No, Kyle has nothing to do with that. I have no intention to leave Chicago.” Casey stood up while Sylvie still had her hands on him, now on his neck and it felt electric. “I have no intention to leave you Matt Casey, ever”. 

It was it, he knew something changed in him when she told him that. She was it, she was his present and his future and he was sure of that. He smiled at her and kissed her with everything he had. He had been restraining himself for months, suppressing his feelings and his desires but this time was over. The fear and doubts were gone and with their first kiss he showed her that he was all in. It was a passionate kiss, a promise for the future. It was it.


	7. Chapter 7

After a few minutes and a passionate kiss, they finally separated, but only because they needed some air. They stayed in each other arms and couldn’t believe that this moment had finally happened. After months of tiptoeing, months of getting closer without taking a chance, they kissed and it felt good and natural. It was organic. 

“I can’t believe I waited that long to kiss you”. Whispered Casey with his forehead resting on hers and his arms keeping her close to him. 

“Well I am not going to deny it, I am glad you did it. I didn’t think that this would happen when I entered the house” Chuckled Sylvie. 

“So… Maybe we should talk about it, talk about what it means for the both of us?” Asked Casey while finally locking eyes with Sylvie again. His eyes were shining and full of hope. 

“Yeah sure” She responded while guiding Casey to the stools where they sat before.

“Okay” Casey took a deep breath before continuing as he was nervously playing with Sylvie’s right hand “I am all in if you are. I don’t think I have ever been surer about something in my life. It feels good, scary yes, but so damn right and I don’t want to ruin any chance to live something amazing with you Sylvie. I truly think that we could be great together and build a strong and honest relationship”. 

“I am all in too Matt and I want this strong and honest relationship with you. I want a partnership where we can both feel seen and heard”. Sylvie smiled widely, stood up in the little space there was between both of their stools, her standing legs between his, his hands on her hips, and she kissed him softly. 

“I can’t wait to start building this partnership” she continued. Casey watched her in awe, he couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have her, she was everything he ever wanted. 

“Good, I can’t wait either. Now do you want to tell everyone or should we wait?”.

“Maybe we should wait a little, see how it goes but if someone found about us we don’t deny it, it’s not really something I want to hide”. 

“I agree. We should talk to the Chief in a few weeks, he has to know about us”. 

“Alright, now…” She approached him dangerously, her lips so close to his “Can we go upstairs… and do some painting, I have been dying to since you showed me the master bedroom”. 

“Come on gorgeous, let’s paint and maybe kiss a little, or a lot” Casey said with a wink as he led her to the stairs. 

“Those are two really appealing propositions Captain”. 

For the rest of the afternoon they were in a bubble, painting of course, Casey had a job to do after all, but also laughing, kissing and enjoying a peaceful and natural silence. It was a bliss. 

***  
At 6 pm Sylvie left the house to go back at her place and change. Matt stayed a little bit longer to store his tools and tidy a bit the place. They planned to see each other that night at Molly’s. Matt was at Molly’s at 8 pm discussing with Hermann, Mouch and Cruz at the bar. 

“Anyone has news from Sylvie? Is she coming?” Asked a concerned Hermann.

“Yeah she will be here in a bit”. Responded Matt before taking another sip of his beer. 

“Are you sure? I mean those past few weeks she often said that she’d come and never showed up”. Cruz was apparently doubtful and probably didn’t want to have false hope. 

“We had lunch and she said she’d come. Don’t worry. She seems much better.” Of course Matt was a big part of Sylvie’s recent happiness. Matt patted Cruz’s left arm and gave him a reassuring smile. They started to speak about one of their colleagues, over at house 80, who just got promoted as a Lieutenant when Sylvie entered the bar, walked towards them while looking around her. 

“Well the bar is packed tonight, that’s good. Hey guys.” Cruz stood up and hugged her tightly. “Whoah Joe, I have trouble to breath there”. 

“Sorry, I just missed you roomie”. 

“You saw me this morning”. Laughed Sylvie. 

“You know what I mean”. Stated a serious Joe Cruz. 

“I know and I want to say thank you to all of you. You all checked on me those past few weeks, and proposed dinners and nights at Molly’s and I really appreciated that. It was just a rough moment for me”. Sylvie watched her three friends and smiled at them, then locked eyes w Matt who was just watching her like she was the 7th wonder of the world. 

“Always here for you Sylvie. Always.” Said Hermann with a wink and placing a glass of white wine in front of her.

“Good to know that you haven’t forget my drink of choice”. Hermann chuckled and left to serve other customers. Sylvie was still standing between Matt and another guy sitting on a bar stool. The other guy who certainly had drink his share of beers stood up abruptly pushing Sylvie. Matt wrapped his arm around Sylvie’s waist preventing her from falling. Naturally Matt’s arm stayed around Sylvie's waist as they kept talking. What they didn’t know was that a member of 51 saw their proximity and loving looks. 

After a few minutes Sylvie said silently with a smile “Matt, your arm. It’s not really subtle”.

“Sorry” He apologised as he removed his arm “It’s hard to keep my hands to myself when you are around”. 

“Hum a Cheesy Casey, I like it” Sylvie confessed while smiling widely. “I am going to say hello to the others, I’ll see you after handsome”. 

Sylvie walked over a table situated at the back of the bar where Severide, Violet, Tony and Capp were sitting. 

“Hey friend”. Grinned the always nice Tony as Capp liberated a place that she took. 

“How did you found the house Casey works on?” Asked Severide with a little light on his eyes and a smirk. This was weird, Severide’s simple question seemed to imply more but she didn’t know what. So she gave him an honest response. 

“The house is amazing, it has so much potential. The owners are lucky”. 

“Yes they are.” Simply reacted Severide, repeating what his best friend said a few hours ago. 

The rest of the evening went smoothly and Matt and Sylvie made sure to found a quiet place to say goodbye before returning to their separate homes.


	8. Chapter 8

The next shift Sylvie arrived at the fire house already dressed for the day, and at the same time that Ritter and Gallo did. The three of them were chatting merrily when they entered the firehouse. Sylvie was talking about her little sister, she has just received some photos from Scott, she was watching her two colleagues and not where they were going. Ritter and Gallo stopped walking when they entered the common room. They both looked surprised, so she turned her head to see what they were watching. A smile rose on her face, Casey was cooking, which was certainly a rare event at 51. He was a really good cook but his rank gave him the privilege to cook only when he wanted to. 

“Wow, Captain it’s the first time I have seen you cook since I got here” declared Gallo with a smirk. 

“Don’t get used to it candidate, Ritter and you are still the designated chefs at 51”. Casey responded smiling. He was actually beaming and it surely intrigued the other firefighters. All those present in the common room were looking at him curiously, none of them could pinpoint what was making him so happy. Well, anyone except Sylvie. 

“So what are you making?” Asked Ritter who was impressed and thought it was smelling really really good. 

“Oh, nothing fancy, typical breakfast things. Fresh orange juice for everyone. For the food you have French toasts, chocolate pancakes and right now I am preparing an omelette”. 

“Sweet”. Declared Gallo who looked like a little boy on Christmas morning. “Can’t wait to taste this omelette”. 

“So Casey” Began Cruz as Casey turned to face him. “I think I can count on the fingers of my hands the number of times you cooked for the house since I work here, which is quite a long time now. What is the special occasion?”

“I just woke up and wanted to cook, and because we are on shift you can benefit from my cooking”. He just finished to prepare everything. He wanted to make a plate for Sylvie but he couldn’t only make it for her. In order not to blow their cover, he prepared three plates, brought one to Sylvie who was now sitting at the table, gave one to Hermann who was on Sylvie’s right side, and took one plate for him and sat on Sylvie’s left side. 

“Thanks Captain” Said Hermann who was still trying to figure out why Matthew Casey, the man of few words, who those past few years spent a lot of time grumbling was suddenly so happy. It was very curious and even weirder that he served him his plate. 

“Your welcome, the Engine Lieutenant and the PIC of the house deserve some special treatments from time to time”. Affirmed Casey seriously. 

His forearm touched Sylvie’s forearm slightly when he took his fork to start eating. The mere touch was electrical, he felt it and she definitively felt it to. His peripheral vision confirmed that she was trying to keep her calm, she was concentrated really hard on her food. He smirked. The reason behind his cooking was that he wanted to cook for her but they were on shift so he made more food, well lot more food because he was feeding a bunch of firefighters. 

“Oh my God, it smells so good” Said Kidd when she entered the room with Severide by her side. 

“The Captain made breakfast” announced a thrilled Gallo with a full mouth. 

“Hallelujah. It will be much better than what you and Ritter can cook” Laughed Kidd while both Ritter and Gallo feigned to be offended. 

Severide was looking at his best friend who hasn’t even turned around to acknowledge his arrival with Kidd. Casey was in his own bubble, and only one other person seemed to be accepted in it. Severide surely wasn’t fooled by this whole cooking situation but he took advantage of it and prepared himself a plate. 

***

A little bit later, Casey was heading from the locker room to his quarters, when he walked past Severide’s quarters his best-friend popped his head out, smirked, and just asked the question he was dying to ask. 

“So what’s the deal between Brett and you?”

“What? What are you talking about?” Casey was trying to keep his calm. Sylvie and him talked about telling the others. They didn’t want to do a big announcement yet but they also said that if someone discovered their relationship they wouldn’t lie about it. 

“Come on Case, I am not an idiot and I have eyes” Declared Severide before continuing. “You are both beaming. Nobody seems to have noticed though, and I don’t know how this is possible, you are looking at each other like teenagers.” Severide laughed as Casey rolled his eyes. “The cooking gave you away man, you barely cook at the apartment and now you are cooking at the house just two days after having this mysterious lunch with Sylvie…”. 

“Okay, okay we are together but you can’t tell anyone, even Kidd. We just want to take our time and enjoy this before everyone from the house gets involved”. Whispered Casey. 

“You know you can trust me. I am thrilled for the both of you. I have a great feeling about this”. Said Severide joyfully. His best friend deserved to be happy with someone who would consider him an equal, a partner and he truly thought that Brett could be the one for Casey. 

“Yeah, I have a really great feeling too” Beamed Matt before leaving for his quarters. 

***

This shift was definitely a slow one, the Squad team hasn’t been called out yet, Engine and Truck got called only once and Ambo 61 only got three calls. Sylvie was restocking the ambulance and daydreaming when she felt a hand gently rests on her lower back. She already felt really good but Casey entering her personal space made her feel even better. 

“So how was breakfast?” Asked Casey. His low voice made her knees feel week.

She turned to face him, biting her lower lips. “Amazing but I would have definitively preferred a private breakfast which could have finished preferably in my bedroom or yours”. His gaze changed instantly from a soft one to a burning one. He had to control himself because what he wanted to do right was really not appropriate in a workplace. 

He stepped a little bit closer “Well maybe I can cook for you tomorrow, Kelly and Stella will be at Benny’s cabin so we would be alone and… dessert can be taken in my room”. 

“Well… this is something to look for” She declared with her lips dangerously closed to his and her hands around his neck. “Can I make a request for the food?”.  
Casey nodded. “A few years ago you cooked for the house and made those killer lasagna, can we have that for diner?”

He was looking at her in awe, what she was talking about must have happened not long after her arrival, so approximatively seven years ago. Mills was still at the house and it was because they were talking about each other’s recipe that he decided to cook for the house. Mills inspired him this day to do some alterations to his recipe and everyone had loved what Casey had cooked.

Sylvie noticed that he was kind of shocked that she remembered that, she smiled “It was really really good, I always hopped that you would cook them again at the house but this day never happened”. 

“It seems that this day has finally arrived and it will be a private service”. At that moment the bell went off for Ambo 61, she kissed him quickly, he stepped back and started to walk away to finish working on some papers. He crossed Violet who was running towards the ambulance. Matt glanced back one more time and saw Sylvie in the ambulance’s rear view mirror. Just like that, the girls were off to save another life.


	9. Chapter 9

Violet and Sylvie were sent to a retirement house a few blocks away from the house. A woman was waiting for them on the front steps of the building. She was young, maybe 21, and seemed to be really nervous. The girls were barely out of the ambulance when the woman nearly jumped on them. 

“HI, one of our residents fell down the stairs. I didn’t move him, I was afraid to aggravate the situation”. Quickly said the woman. 

Sylvie felt immediately that the young girl needed to be reassured, she must have been new to the place “What’s your name” asked Sylvie kindly. 

“Lisa, I am working at the retirement house but I have no medical skills and all the nurses are with others residents, they told me to call 911”.

“It’s okay Lisa, we are going to go inside with you and assess the situation, don’t worry.” Sylvie smiled at the young woman who motioned them inside. 

“Right here follow me”. 

In less than a minute they arrived where an older man, in his late seventies, was sitting at the end of the stairs. “Hello sir, I am Sylvie the paramedic in charge and this is Violet. Can you tell me where you hurt?”.

“My left wrist, it is broken. I didn’t hit my head so I can’t have a concussion.” The man responded with certainty as Sylvie approached him and gently took his wrist.

“It is definitively broken. We will get you to Med to see a doctor. Do you need help to walk or is it okay for you to walk to the ambulance?” Asked Sylvie, the man in front of her looked really good for his age, and she noticed no wheelchair or cane around him. He got up easily and started to walk without a problem. 

Lisa was not far from Sylvie and she was visibly emotional “I am really sorry Mister Johnson”. 

“Honey, it is not your fault, you were at the base of the stairs when I slipped. There was nothing you could do to stop it. I am starting to be old and I tripped.” Mister Johnson was chuckling, it looked like he found the situation quite funny. 

“I was a doctor for more than forty years, I spent my life casting every part of the body you could think of but never broke anything myself. Well… until now”. Sylvie and Violet glanced at each other, now they understood why he was so confident when he told them he broke his wrist and he had no concussion. 

“Doctors are often the worse patients, are you going to be a nightmare with us Mr Johnson?” Teased Violet. 

“Of course not, especially with two beautiful paramedics like you. I will be a perfect gentleman”. Responded a smiling Mr Johnson, he definitively broke a few hearts in his time. 

“Ok let’s go. Violet you drive. Don’t worry Lisa, everything is going to be fine, it is just a fracture. It is certainly painful but in two months maximum Mister Johnson will be using his left wrist as if nothing happened”. Reassured Sylvie as she was smiling widely at the young woman before taking place in the back of the ambo with her patient. 

On the way to the hospital Mister Johnson clearly tried to praise the merits of his grandson to Sylvie “You know I have a grandson, Henry, who is a general surgeon but not at Med. He is 32, he is tall and has really beautiful eyes. He is also really nice. I can give you his number if you are interested”. 

“It is nice of you but it wouldn’t be really professional to accept it” Responded Sylvie nicely, it wasn’t the first time one of her patients tried to set her up with a relative. 

“I have to at least try” Smiled Mister Johnson. 

“Your grandson is lucky to have a grandfather who is looking out for him”. Declared Sylvie honestly. 

Her conversation with Mr Johnson made her think about her grandparents and the impacts they had on her life. Her dad’s parents died when she was young and she didn’t have a lot of memories of them but her mom’s parents were still alive and she adored them. She spent her childhood at her grandparents’ house, reading with her grandmother and ridding with her grandfather. She really needed to go see them in Fowlerton, calling was really not enough and they deserved more attention from her. 

***

Sylvie and Violet left Mister Johnson at Med and headed back to 51. Violet was driving and Sylvie was nervously glancing at her every few seconds. 

“Common on Brett say what you have to say” Encouraged Violet. They have been working with each other for a few weeks now but they didn’t really know each other and they didn’t had a chance to bond yet, Sylvie had not been in the right place of mind for that. 

“I am sorry. You were nothing but great with me those past few weeks and I was distant. I should have welcomed you the right way and with opened arms”. Declared sincerely Sylvie. 

“Well I don’t plan to go anywhere in the foreseeable future so we have time to learn to know each other and you had other stuffs to deal with, I totally understand that” Smiled Violet as she was still watching the road ahead of her. 

“Great, we could grab breakfast after shift if you are free”. Proposed Sylvie. 

“I am free and happy to accept”. 

“And it is nice to hear that you plan to stay. You are my… well my 6th partner since I got here. Don’t know what it reveals about me”. Sylvie was watching the landscape scrolls, she could not believe that in only seven years she had had six different partners. Each of them left an indelible trace on her and some of them counted more. Gabby, Mills and Emily counted the most for her, they all have been so important to her for so many reasons and she was so grateful that their paths crossed. 

“Maybe it says more about them than about you”. Sylvie smiled, she could feel that Violet would be a good fit for the ambo but also for the house and she was so grateful that she was her new partner and not someone like Chout. 

A nice silence settled between the girls, they were both appreciating the new step that had been taken between them. Violet felt bold and asked what was on her mind “So… Captain Casey and you it is a new thing right?”.

“What?” Reacted Sylvie as her head turned quickly to look at Violet who was still concentrating at the road and was not eager to face Sylvie. “How do you know that? We literally told no one yet”. 

They just arrived at 51, Violet turned off the engine and finally looked at Sylvie with a grin. “Well, being the new girl I am definitely more observant than the others. I am trying to understand the dynamics at the house and there has clearly been a change between the Captain and you. Plus I saw you at Molly’s, he had his arm around your waist for far too long after this guy pushed inadvertly. Of course, you don’t have to answer or say anything, it is not really my business”. 

“It’s okay. Yes we are together, it is really fresh, we haven’t even had a real date yet”. Stated Sylvie who was widely smiling. 

“I don’t know either of you that much but you are both radiant so I approve. Don’t worry I will keep my mouth shut. I am happy for you partner”. Said Violet with a wink while leaving the ambo. 

The girls separated and Sylvie went in search of Matt. 

***

The search wasn’t a long one, Matt was in his quarters at his desk working on a huge pile of papers. Watching him Sylvie had an idea, she was in a good mood and decided to play a little bit with Matt. She knocked lightly on his door and entered the room before he even had the time to raise his head. 

“Hey you” Smiled Matt when he saw who was his visitor. He quickly noticed that something was off with Sylvie, she wasn’t smiling at all, she was stoic “What’s wrong? Something happened on your last call?”.

“Matt, I don’t think it’s going to work between us”. She declared as she made a gesture with her hand showing him and then her. 

“Wh..What?”. Said Matt as he stood up. He couldn’t believe it, only two hours ago they were kissing next to the ambo. He didn’t understand what could had led to this moment, he was in shock and his eyes were lost in the void. 

“Well you see my last patient talk to me about his grandson who is a general surgeon in Chicago. 32 years old, tall, nice and he apparently has really nice eyes. He wants to present him to me and I think it’s a good idea”. As she was telling this nonsense Matt looked at her and saw that she was clearly teasing him, he relaxed on his chair and rolled his eyes. 

“We’ve been together for what two days and you are already making jokes about dumping me, I don’t know what I am supposed to understand there.”

“I am comfortable enough to make jokes about that, it is pretty good. And… I have no intention of ending this relationship. I have so many plans for you and me, Matthew Casey. The first one being our diner tomorrow night”. Sylvie was standing really close to him and he just wanted to jump her right here, right now. It was going to be hard to resist her at the firehouse every shift, well who said he needed to resist her all the times… 

“You need to get out of here right now before I lower the blinds and lock the door”. Matt admitted as he stood up and approached her.  
“Having trouble to keep your calm Captain”. Teased Sylvie as she bit her lower lip and put her hands on his chest. Matt eyes were going back and forth between Sylvie’s eyes and her lips. 

Sylvie knew that she had to get out of here because if he attempted to kiss her she would not stop him. She backed away before saying, one hand on the door handle “Oh by the way, I am having breakfast with Violet tomorrow after shift and she knows about us, we are not that subtle in the eyes of someone who doesn’t really know us apparently”. 

“Severide knows too. He asked me when you were on your call, I was honest with him”. 

“I don’t have a problem with either of them knowing”. She smiled at him once more and left for the common room. 

People were starting to know and he really didn’t care, Matt was actually really excited to live his romance in broad daylight but he didn’t want to pressure Sylvie.


	10. Chapter 10

Matt and Sylvie left separately 51 after their shift. Matt was gone at 8am sharp, he had a busy day ahead of him, he was working on different renovation gigs. It was going to be a tiring day but he had something to look for, his first date with Sylvie. Even though Sylvie and him have known each other for years and even if their friendship wasn’t new, they were entering new territories and it made him nervous. He didn’t want to screw this up, there was too much to lose and Sylvie deserved only the best. 

Sylvie went to her breakfast with Violet and she had a great time. After breakfast the girls went on a walk and laughed so much. They finally had a chance to talk about Violet and Gallo. The situation between the two of them was so weird at work and Sylvie, as everyone else at the house, saw that. Violet had been working at 51 for a month now and Gallo could barely talk to her. Every time she entered a room he was leaving it or busying himself. Violet was actually living her life as if everything was fine. She estimated that he was the one who complicated everything between them so he was the one who needed to fix it, she definitely will not be the one making the first move. 

She left Violet in the middle of the afternoon to go back to her place and start getting ready. Sylvie stayed in front of her dressing for long minutes. They were not going out so she could dressed more casually, but it also was their first official date, it was an important moment and she wanted to look nice and feel comfortable. She decided to go for a simple but elegant outfit. She put on black jeans, a dark blue blouse with a nice revealing neck line and black heels. She decided to wear the black lace lingerie set she brought a few weeks before, it was sexy enough and she didn’t really know what to expect from the night.   
Sylvie left her house at 7:30pm and made her way to Matt’s, she couldn’t wait, she saw him this morning but she was so excited for their night. She really could get addicted to Matt and she had already realised that. She arrived at Matt’s place and knocked gently on the door. Within thirty seconds Matt was answering the door and letting her in. He took her jacket off and then kissed her softly with a hand on her waist and the other on one of her cheeks “You look beautiful”. 

“Thank you handsome, you are quite good looking too. Apparently we are already coordinating our outfits” Smirked Sylvie as she looked at him. He was wearing a black pair of jeans and a dark blue shirt, the same colour as her blouse. “It smells so good”. She said finally looking somewhere else than Matt. 

“Thanks, it should be ready in ten minutes”. Declared Matt as he led her to the kitchen, not letting go of her hand. “Mills gave me great advice at the time, the lasagna are way better than when I was using my own recipe”. 

“He sure was a really amazing cook. I miss his cooking, it was better than what any of us ever cooked at 51. I just miss him actually, he was a fantastic partner”. Added Sylvie who now seemed to be lost in her memories. 

“Do you still talk to him? Do you have news from him?”. Asked Matt as he gently rubbed his thumb on her right hand to get her attention back. He also really liked Mills, he was a great kid and Matt knew that he had a huge potential as a firefighter. He could never forget that he was the one who came to comfort him when a doctor announced Hallie’s death to him. But because Mills dated Gabby, the both of them never had the chance to grow close. 

“I do. We send texts for our birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas or some photos from here and there. It’s nice to keep in touch even if it’s not the same as having him at 51. Since his departure, I have always had the idea of going to see him in North Carolina, maybe go on a road trip.”

“We should do it, it could be really fun. We could maybe get a group together.” Proposed Matt with a huge smile. 

“Really? That would be so great” Reacted Sylvie “But we also said that for the mysterious trip around the world and we never did it” Pointed out Sylvie. 

“Well we should do the road trip and the mysterious trip, we have all the time in the world” Replied Matt before kissing Sylvie. “It’s ready, let’s eat and enjoy in Mills’ honour”. 

The diner went smoothly, and Matt’s nervousness disappeared pretty quickly. Being with Sylvie was so easy, they could talk about anything. He felt seen and it was a feeling that he never really experienced with any of his partner before. She knew him, knew how he worked and let him be himself. Matt felt free for the first time in a very long time, there was no judgment from neither of them. They talked a lot about Sylvie’s childhood in her parents’ farm, about her younger brother Jake and all their shenanigans. They laughed and looked at each other with loving eyes. 

***

They stayed at the table after finishing eating, they were holding hands above the table and laughing about a story Matt was telling, a story involving a hot dog contest that Mouch participated in. Suddenly they heard the front door open. Severide and Kidd were standing a few meters away. A silence reigned in the apartment for a few seconds before Kidd saw Matt and Sylvie’s hands which were still intertwined above the table. Kidd’s eyes grew big and then her screams filled the apartment. 

“Oh my God, yes, yes, yes. FI-NA-LLY. I can’t believe it, I thought I would never live long enough to see the both of you together. This is amazing, it could almost outshined the fact that Kelly and I got engaged today. I really can’t believe it, it is amazing”. They all looked shocked, Sylvie and Matt were happy that Kidd was so enthusiastic for them, but she literally announced her engagement without even noticing it. 

“We will be able to have double dates, that’s sooo cool” Stella finally said, finishing her tirade. 

Sylvie stood up, looked right through her best-friend’s eyes and asked slowly “You - you are engaged?”. Stella raised her left hand showing a beautiful diamond ring. Sylvie run towards Stella and hugged her tightly, each of them having a huge smile on their face. 

Matt got up too and went to congratulate Kelly, pulling him in a fraternal hug “Congrats man, it is a great news. I am so happy for the both of you. You are really good at keeping secrets apparently”. 

“I know, I wanted it to be a surprise for everyone”. Sylvie let Stella out of the hug so Casey could congratulate her and she walked to Severide and gave him a huge hug too, she was so happy that he finally had something good in his life and that it was with her best friend. 

“I am sorry we interrupted your date. I totally forgot you were having diner here, my mind was clearly somewhere else. We wanted you two to be the first ones to know. Stella was going to call you Sylvie. ” Apologised Severide who still had an arm around Sylvie’s shoulders. 

“What? You knew about them?”. Shockingly asked Stella. 

“Yeah, I figured it out yesterday. They forced me to stay quiet”. Quickly replied Severide. Casey rolled his eyes at Kelly last sentence. They didn’t force him to be silent, they simply asked him to be but he was not going to correct his best friend in front of his new fiancée. 

“Common, I baked a chocolate cake and we have a bottle of champagne in the fridge. It is the perfect moment to open it”. Declared Casey motioning them to the table. 

Matt and Sylvie told their best friends how they finally got together and then Stella told them how Kelly asked her to marry him. They were on the lake and when Stella looked in an opposite direction Kelly dropped on one knee and the rest was history. With great joy both Matt and Sylvie respectively accepted to be best man and maid of honour. Who should be beside them as they get married was the only detail Kelly and Stella were sure of for now. 

A few hours later, Kelly and Stella retrieved to their room, certainly to celebrate their engagement. Matt was in front of the sink in the kitchen, finishing the dishes. Sylvie walked towards him and gently hugged him from behind, dropping a kiss on the back of his neck. “So… the newly engaged are in their room, what would you say if we gave them more privacy and go back to my place? We could maybe enjoy part II of the dessert?”. 

Matt gulped, turned around, and looked at her with fire in his eyes “I’ll drive, I drive faster”. Sylvie laughed, he was definitely not insensitive to her charms. They did arrived quickly at Sylvie’s apartment and clearly took advantage of being just the two of them. Matt didn’t have to work the next, so they decided to spend the day in bed and they enjoyed each other company. It was the perfect first date and the perfect beginning to their relationship.

***

The next shift definitely was a happy one, Kelly and Stella decided to announce their engagement just after the morning brief and everyone erupted in hurrahs. The next ten minutes following the announcement were just made of a lot of congratulations and hugs. Casey couldn’t believe that Severide finally decided to settle and spend the rest of his life with Kidd, the two were clearly a match made of heaven and he couldn’t be happier for them. Casey was silently observing the room smiling at everyone happiness, his eyes finally settled on Sylvie who was exuding joy and he felt this twinge in his lower stomach, maybe one day they will be the ones with a similar announce.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for everyone reading and commenting !!  
> As challenging as it is to write in another language, I really enjoy writing this story :) 
> 
> Gabby is back in this chapter and the next one. I really liked Gabby, she was a baddass and she was fun but I do think that Matt and her were not made for each other.

A few weeks passed and everything was going amazingly well between Matt and Sylvie. They spent every minute they had free with each other and they already had the feeling of knowing each other perfectly. It seemed incredible that no one had realised that they were together. Of course, they were discreet at work but they also were missing a lot at the same time, at work and outside their work.

One afternoon Sylvie was at Molly’s with a bunch of people from 51 who agreed to help Hermann with a big cleaning. She was supposed to meet Matt later in the afternoon at the movie theater. She was sitting at the bar with Kelly on one side and Joe on the other. Mouch and Capp were also there while Stella was doing some cleaning behind the bar. They were chatting happily and loudly when they saw Hermann coming from the back of the bar talking on the phone, he was saying his goodbye to the person he was on the phone with.

“Well you are not working a lot” Noticed Hermann with a furrowed eyebrow as he was putting his phone in his pocket. “It was Gabby. She tried to call Cindy because she sent her some cookies, brownies and other goodies. Cindy must be busy.” Declared Hermann as he joined Stella behind the bar.

“She should come home more often” Said Mouch.

“Yeah. It would be good for Casey. You know it was Casey and Dawson for so long, we saw them together from the beginning to the end. They were really good together, the yin and the yang”. Replied Hermann as he eyed everyone. Sylvie was purposely taking a sip of her drink and not watching Hermann. Stella and Kelly both looked at her discreetly, they were trying to make sure that she was ok. What she didn’t know was that Hermann’s words messed her more than what she thought.

“I am sure their paths will cross again, it is always like that with them”. Bid Mouch.

Kelly felt Sylvie stiffened next to him, he couldn’t stay silent. “Guys Casey is happy. Nobody needs Gabby to come back like a tornado and messed up everything. She is doing great stuffs in Puerto Rico and Casey is where he should be. They are both happy that’s what is important”. Kelly squeezed gently Sylvie’s thigh under the bar, it was a reassuring gesture and she responded by taking his hand.

“If you say so”. Responded Hermann who clearly didn’t agree with what Kelly just said.

A few moments later, Sylvie got up “I have to go, I am meeting a friend in half an hour. I’ll see you guys tomorrow at 51”. Everyone said goodbye to her knowing that they will be reunited in just a few hours.

Kelly followed Sylvie with his eyes until she reached the front door of the bar, when he turned around he glanced at Stella, she seemed to be as preoccupied as he was. Knowing Sylvie she would be reading too much into what Hermann and Mouch had said and it will torture her.

***

Casey and Brett arrived at Brett’s new apartment at the start of the evening. The week before she had moved in a one bedroom apartment, not far away from her precedent one. She had stayed in her three bedrooms apartment as long as her financial situation allowed her, this place was full of memories, especially memories with Otis, letting go of it proved itself to be very difficult.

Matt noticed that something was wrong the minute Sylvie joined him outside the movie theatre. He asked her if everything was right and she assured him that everything was fine with a small smile and a kiss. During the entire movie Matt could see Sylvie playing with her watch, she had her eyes in the void and was definitely not paying attention to the screen. He tried to understand what could be the problem, he had left her only a couple of hours before and she was great, widely smiling and exiting for their afternoon date. Something must have happened at Molly’s and she would surely tell him about it later.

As the movie come to an end Sylvie’s mood didn’t change. They drove separately to Sylvie’s place, each of them came with their own car. Sylvie was waiting for him in front of her apartment, she now looked thoughtful but open to a discussion. They silently entered her apartment and went to her room.

As Matt put his duffle bag at the end of the bed, Sylvie sat on it with the intention to remove her heels. The red light on her answering machine indicated that she had a message, in general only the members of her family tried to call at her house, all of her friends call her on her cell phone. She clicked on the button and immediately froze when she recognized the voice.

_Hey partner, I tried to call you on your cell but it must be dead. I am coming to Chicago for a few days and I’ll be at the house tomorrow. It is a surprise, I had Hermann on the phone an hour ago and told him nothing. Can’t wait to see everyone and to see you. I don’t know if Matt told any of you but we kindda had a moment the last time I was here, I don’t know what it meant but I am definitely going to try to have a private moment with him, maybe Matt and I could try to work on our relationship. I’ll see soon. Love you partner._

Matt was shocked, as soon as he heard Gabby he turned around to look at Sylvie, as the message progressed Sylvie seemed more and more distressed. She didn’t move a bit, her eyes fixed on her answering machine. When Gabby mentioned Matt Sylvie flinched a little but she still didn’t acknowledge Matt’s presence. She was in another dimension and Matt was afraid to say anything. Gabby had just declared that she wanted to try again with him which was certainly going to lead to a difficult conversation with Sylvie.

“Sylvie” Matt called as he took a step towards Sylvie. “I had no idea that she was coming to Chicago, maybe we should talk”.

“Can you leave Matt?” Sylvie responded, or rather whispered.

“Wh- What ?”. Matt didn’t understood, his ex just called, a conversation between Sylvie and him was much needed.

Sylvie slowly turned her head and he saw all the sorrow in her eyes, she was shocked and he could tell she was still processing what she just heard. Sylvie definitely needed some time alone, he could tell that, but he was mad, he wanted to talk, to tell her that she was the one he wanted not Gabby. He decided to respect Sylvie’s choice, he approached her, cupped her cheek and softly kissed her head.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, call me if you want to”.

***

The journey to his apartment was a difficult one, his mind was all over the place. He was mad, and disappointed, and shocked. He couldn’t process the fact that Gabby called but most importantly he couldn’t process Sylvie’s reaction. He slammed the door unintentionally, Severide and Kidd who were on the couch both jumped at the loud noise.

“Wow gentle Casey or you going to need to change the door” Laughed Kelly. “What’s going on with you? Weren’t you supposed to be at Sylvie’s tonight?”.

Casey didn’t even answer, his jaw was clenched and he was walking with determination towards his room, his hand was on the door handle when Kidd started talking.

“Gabby called you?”

“What?”. Reacted Severide who was eyeing his best friend curiously.

Casey turned himself sharply answered “How do you know?”

“Well she left me a message when I was at Molly’s”. She confessed before turning to Kelly “She is coming for a few days, she is arriving tomorrow”.

“To answer you, no she didn’t call me but she left a message for Sylvie, saying that she was coming and that she was thinking about trying again with me. I was with Sylvie when she listened to it ”. His friends were looking at him intensely.

“How did Sylvie take the message?”. Asked Severide who was trying to be careful.

“What do you think? I wouldn’t be here if she had taken it well. She literally said nothing and asked me to leave. One small bump and she is already pushing me away, how are we supposed to have a healthy relationship with that kind of reaction.” He was clearly mad, well he was actually fuming.

“Case, I don’t really want to intrude your relationship with Sylvie but this isn’t a small bump, it is a pretty huge one”. Matt didn’t seem to want to answer so Severide asked “Since you are with Sylvie have you had a conversation about Gabby ?”

“No”.

“Well, you can’t be mad at her for wanting a little bit of peace to think and process Gabby’s voicemail”. This time it was Stella who was talking. “And for your information Sylvie is not Gabby, she probably will be the one sending a message to talk. Do you have any idea what she may be feeling right now? Matt she was there for almost your entire relationship with Gabby, for the good and the bad. She spent her days in the ambulance with Gabby, and they certainly talk about you a lot. Facing and accepting her feelings for you was not easy for her”.

“It wasn’t easy for me either Kidd”.

“I am not saying the contrary but you are a guy and a captain. People are not going to talk about you, they are going to talk about her, about the fact that she was Gabby’s partner and best friend, that this is a betrayal from her part. Some are going to assume that she was into you even when Gabby was still here”.

“That’s crazy, life is way more complicated than that”.

“I know but welcome in the real world Captain”. Tightly smiled Kidd.

“Case, what do you feel about Gabby’s coming back for a few days?”

“Well I don’t really care about Gabby’s return, I am so happy with Sylvie and that is all that matters to me”. Declared Matt. The truth was that he wasn’t only happy with Sylvie, he was madly in love, he had no doubt about that and each day his love for her deepened a little bit more, he just hadn’t found the right time to tell her yet. “Do you think it can jeopardize my relationship with Sylvie ?” He shyly asked, the question being addressed to Stella. 

“Be honest with her and I don’t think that it will have an impact on your relationship, you are too good together. But you definitely should have a conversation with Gabby too”. Stated Stella.

Casey nodded and decided to go into his room, it was too early to sleep but he had to prepare himself for two difficult conversations and he was anxious to have them. Stella was at least right for one thing, Sylvie had texted him “ _I shouldn’t have asked you to leave, we should talk tomorrow. Goodnight Matt_ ”.

He tightly smiled, it wasn't the warmest text message but it was a start, an open door to a much needed discussion. “ _It’s ok, I do understand. We will talk tomorrow. Goodnight beautiful_ ”.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys it's been a while... I hope you are all doing well :)  
> I studied all summer for an exam I took early september and wasn't able to write for more than two months.  
> Finally I have a new chapter for you and Gabby is back... 
> 
> I don't know how often I'll be able to update this story but I'll try to do it, maybe with shorter chapters. 
> 
> Enjoy this chapter and let me know if you liked it in the comments ! 
> 
> (sorry if there are mistakes, it is late in France and I was too tired to thoroughly verify the chapter)

Sylvie didn’t sleep that night, her mind was spiralling and she was imagining every possible scenario. Of course there was a possibility that Matt would go back with Gabby, after all it was Gabby, his miracle. It was even possible that he would decide to go to Puerto Rico with his ex-wife. She could lose Matt has her boyfriend but also as a friend. It broke her heart to imagine 51 without him, her life without him. Sylvie tossed in her bed again and again and again that night.

After a sleepless night she finally left the comfort of her bed and started to get ready for a day that she was not ready to experience. As she walked through the apparatus floor she saw the squad members sitting, as usual, at their table. Severide subtly winked and smiled at her. This simple interaction made her feel a little bit better, warmer. She certainly loved the friendship growing between Severide and her, it felt like having another annoying and protective brother. It felt comforting.

There he was, in the kitchen pouring himself a cup of coffee. As soon as she entered the kitchen Matt turned to face her as if he sensed her presence. She immediately saw that he was as tired as she was, as emotional as she was. The dark circles under his eyes matching hers and she could feel from the opposite of the room his underlying anxiety. She just wanted to be in his arms and forget everything, forget Gabby and all the problems they had to face.

“Hey” Matt quietly said as he started to walk towards her.

Sylvie didn’t have the time to say anything, the bell calling for ambo 61. She let out a tired sigh before responding “I’ll see you when I’ll be back and we will talk”. Matt nodded and she raced to the ambo and sat on the passenger side of the ambo. Violet immediately noticed that something was wrong but she knew better and said nothing just starting to drive.

***

Sylvie and Violet came back to 51 an hour later. She was exhausted but at least her first call got her to focus on the work. It was a call that they’ll remember for a long time, it was just the weirdest call. The girls discovered when they entered the apartment of the victim, an old woman who was living alone, that she had started to raise squirrels in her small palce and was bitten by one of her red squirrels. Sylvie and Violet were really anxious while treating her, there were at least a dozen squirrels around them and they could swear that they were staring at the two paramedics. After a few minutes one of them actually jumped on Violet and Sylvie never heard someone scream and jump like that.

“I am not paid enough to affront those evil animals. I am sure that at night they are becoming vampires”. Said Violet with a shiver.

“Sure” Laughed Sylvie. “Vi you read too much vampire novels. Come on let get some comfort coffee.” Replied Sylvie as she gently led Violet to the kitchen.

The first thing Sylvie saw as she entered the common room was a huge group of people at the table and Gabby was at the centre of it. It strangely looked like a group of bees with their queen. Gabby looked out and as soon as she saw Sylvie she crossed the room and crunched her in a strong hug, a Gabby Dawson hug.

“Oh my God, I missed you partner” As Gabby said that, Sylvie felt weird. She wasn’t Gabby’s partner anymore and this nickname was just inappropriate now. For Sylvie, only Foster could call her “partner” now, that was natural, she was her partner even if she left 51.

“I missed you too Gabby. I am really happy to see you”. Responded Sylvie as she ended the hug.

“It is crazy how I missed this place. This room smell just the same, a mix between bacon grease and chili powder”. Laughed Gabby as she turned to face everyone else.

Gabby started to speak to Violet, who introduced herself, about ambo 61. Sylvie, who stayed next to her new partner, eyed everyone in the room. Hermann and Mouch were beaming and she could understand that, she knew that they were the ones missing Gabby the most, especially Hermann. Ritter and Gallo joined the conversation between Gabby and Violet. Capp and Tony were sitting at the long table and seemed content to see their former colleague.

Sylvie’s eyes lingered on the other people present in the room. Cruz was at the table with the other members of squad 3. His jaw was clenched and his gaze was hard. He didn’t seem to be really happy to see Gabby again. She knew that the last time she came he was hoping for some kind of apology from Gabby for missing Otis’ funerals. Of course, Gabby being Gabby she had no clue that he needed that, she never even considered that some of them could be upset by her absence during this awful time.

Then she saw the last three members of the house leaning against the central island. Stella was peaceful, her eyes were smiling while watching Gabby. But the guys were definitely in a different mood, neither of them were smiling and Severide was positioned really close to Matt, he clearly was trying to be there for his best friend.

She heard some commotion and saw Hermann leading Gabby to the apparatus floor while talking with excitement about one of his new project, then everyone started to leave the room. Thirty seconds later she was standing alone facing Matt in an empty and quiet room. She walked towards him and stopped really close to him. He smiled at her and tucked one strand of her hair behind her right ear. She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch. For the first time today she had the impression that she could finally breathe.

She gently put one of her hands on Matt’s chest, looked at him and finally talk “Again I am sorry for yesterday, I should have asked you to stay to talk”.

“It is not your fault Sylvie, it’s mine. This talk about Gabby should have happened a long time ago. I should have started it”.

_Ambo 61, man down on Addison Street._

“My God, we are always interrupted, damn bell”. Sighed Sylvie.

“Go, I’ll be there when you’ll be back, I’ll always be there”. Gently affirmed Matt as his hand, which was now resting on Sylvie’s neck, softly stroked her skin. She quickly kissed his hand and left the room.

***

Matt was standing next to the Chief’s office reading a file when he saw Gabby walking towards him. She looked sure of herself and gave him a smile which in the past would have make his knees go weak.

“Hey Matt, we didn’t really have time to talk before. Hermann stole me from everyone”.

“Well he missed you.” Simply stated Matt.

“And… did you miss me ?” Boldly asked Gabby as she bite her lower lip.

“Gabby… Really ? Why are you doing this ? We are divorced and we are moving on as we should”.

“We were also divorced the last time I came but you had no problem to follow me in my hotel room”.

“That’s true but it was closure. Everything is different now.”

“Are you seeing someone ?” Asked Gabby who seemed perplex.

Before Matt could answered Chief Boden stormed from his office and joined them. “Casey I just got a call from Med, I need to go there. Brett and Lin had a problem on their last call”.

“Wh-What happened ?” Casey talked in low voice fearing Boden’s answer.

“They had a rough patient. The guy was high and pushed Brett hard. She fell and her head hit the sidewalk quite violently. Maggie told me that it didn’t seem serious but they are doing some exams just for precaution. I’m going to Med to make sure everything is fine”.

Matt simply nodded and Boden left the room. Casey started to walk to return to his quarters. He couldn’t function right now. He knew that the doctors would take good care of Sylvie but he just wanted to be by her side. Without even noticing it he left Gabby alone in the bullpen.

Not even two minutes later, his door opened and closed behind Gabby who looked angry. “I can’t believe it. She is the new girl.”

“What ?” Asked Matt who didn’t seem to remember their previous talk.

“Brett, she is the woman you are seeing”. She annoyingly replied.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabby and Matt finally have "the talk"
> 
> Enjoy !

Matt was stunned. He didn’t know how to respond to Gabby. Actually he didn’t feel obligated to respond to her. She left. She left him and this house and now she was brazen enough to stand in his quarters and ask him about his personal life. He couldn’t understand that she was acting as if she never left and nothing never happened.

For a very long time Matt dreamed about the moment she would come back to him and tell him that she wanted a life with him, here in Chicago. But now, more than two years after their divorce, he understood very clearly that it was just a dream. She made up her mind a long time ago, she’ll never come back to the Windy City. He was the only one who truly compromised himself during their relationship. He loved that she was independent, he loved that she knew what she wanted but at the end of the day they had a very different view on what should be a couple. She never wanted to move forward with him and he found himself stuck in a place he didn’t want to be in.

Then his relationship with Sylvie grew in an unexpected way, it was sudden, different from anything he encountered in his life. She brought him something he thought he would never experience. She brought him peace. Their relationship wasn’t all consuming, it was organic and pure. It was built on a true friendship and mutual respect. For the past two years, every time he looked at her he felt relief that he wasn’t alone. She became his best friend without him noticing it, she became essential.

After a minute of silence, Matt saw that Gabby was starting to become agitated, he knew her perfectly and as he was watching her with her hands on her hips and her jaw clenched he knew that this would be an uncomfortable talk.

“Yes, Sylvie and I started seeing each other a few weeks ago” Responded Matt and the mere thought of Sylvie made him smile. 

“I can’t believe it ! So what she always had feelings for you and when I left she acted on it ?” Of course Gabby would overreact.

“Don’t say that. You have been in the ambo day and night with Sylvie for years, you know her, really know her. She never had feelings for me when you and I were still together. We were not even friends at the time” Sighed Matt who kept glancing to his phone to see if he had a text from the Chief.

“Well she is with my ex-husband now so I am allowed to have doubts”.

“You left more than two years ago. A lot have happened since then and I am not going to apologize for finally moving on, for starting a good relationship. Sylvie and I fought our feelings for almost a year, we thought it was too complicated, that our history was too messy but that is not true, the important is our future. We are happy together and we want you to be happy too”. Matt was now facing Gabby. He saw that she was fuming and didn’t know what he could say to make her see the truth.

“We were happy Matt, we were Casey and Dawson, an epic love story”. She replied as if she was trying to make him change his mind.

“At the beginning yes but look where we were at the end. We became so different, we weren’t able to have simple conversations, we fought about everything. It became unhealthy and we both know it. It’s the inconvenient of an epic love story, at the end the people in the relationship are just hurting each other.” Matt had thought about the fact that everyone called their story “epic”. The truth is he didn’t want an epic story, he wanted a partnership, he wanted to feel safe and an epic love story was just a cover for a love story full of drama.

“Fighting is normal Matt, every couple fight”. Countered Gabby as she started to move to sit on his cot.

“Our disagreements always turned into arguments and then into bigger problems and it should have not been like that. They should have turned into conversations. We never found viable solutions, we always kept moving without addressing them. I am sorry but that is not what I want from a relationship.”

“But we can work, try again, talk about our problems”. Pleaded Gabby with tears in her eyes.

“No we can’t Gabby, it is over”. Firmly answered Matt. He didn’t want to be harsh with her but he learned from experience that if she had set her mind on something she would do anything and apparently she had set her mind on getting him back. 

“Why Matt ? Why ? We always found each other back.” She started to walk towards him and reached to take his hand.

Matt avoided all physical contact, looked right into her eyes and said the words that he hasn’t said out loud yet “Because I love Sylvie. She is it”. It was simple but it was the key to everything, it was the truth.

A few minutes ago he didn’t know what to say to make Gabby understand the situation, but now it appeared that his last sentence worked. Gabby immediately pulled back and he was unable to read her face until she looked at him again and he could see calmness.

“Every time I thought about this place while being at Puerto Rico I felt safe. It has been, you have been my home for so long, I just can’t believe it’s over”.

“51 will always be your home Gabby. Everyone loves you here, included myself. I just can’t be that person anymore. You need to move on from what is a fantasy”. Gently said Matt.

“Yeah, maybe you are right. It is just hard to let go things that were so important for a long time. You truly are happy with her, aren’t you ?”

“I truly am”.

“Well at least I know I leave you into good hands. I should go now. Can you say to Sylvie that I don’t blame her ? I just don’t think I’ll be able to face her and talk about all of that. I need to digest everything”.

After Matt nodded at her Gabby walked to the door, looked at him a last time and left. Matt felt lighter, this conversation was long overdue and he was relieved that it happened. It certainly wasn’t easy to tell the woman he had loved for a very long time that it was over but it allowed him to finally be free to embrace his love for Sylvie.

It phone rang and his heart raced when he saw that it was Chief Boden: _Everything is fine, we will be back at the house in a few_.

Matt started pacing in his office while waiting for Sylvie. He was now about to have another important conversation and this one was even more significant than the first one. As soon as he heard the ambo pull up he left his quarters.

***

As he walk through the apparatus floor he couldn’t see Sylvie anywhere. Severide finally catched his eyes and nodded in direction of the exterior of the house. Matt stopped a few steps behind Sylvie. She was standing alone watching the sky. The weather was actually a perfect reflection of their day. It started with a heavy rain and a dark sky and now, in the late morning, the good weather was coming back and the sky was punctuated with different shades of colours.

“So… You decided that the day wasn’t fun enough and you had to start a fight”. Smirked Casey as she turned herself.

“Yeah I needed more trouble”. Replied Sylvie with a small smile. They stared at each other for a few seconds before Matt took her hand and walk her to a bench where they wouldn’t be disturbed.

"How is your head ?"

“Everything is fine, no commotion so it's good. Is Gabby still here ?” Asked Sylvie while playing nervously with Matt’s hand.

“She left a while ago after we talk. After I told her that you were my future”.

“Matt if you want to go back with Gabby I would understand, we could eventually save our friendship. I don’t want you to have any regret, I want you to be happy…”

“Sylvie stop”. He had to make her stop talking and as soon as he ran his hand on one of cheek he could feel her relaxed “I don’t want to be with Gabby, this part of my life is over and she will not separate us. I want to be with you, I want to build a life you”.

At this moment a family walked near them, the parents walking behind two little girls who must have been around 4 and 6 years old. The children were laughing and dancing, and the parents were beaming while watching them.

Matt pointed at them and said “I want that, and I want that with you. I love you Sylvie Brett, you have my heart”.

Now it was the time for Sylvie to beam, she kissed him with passion and said what he already knew “I love you Matt Casey, you have my heart”. 

“So… it is maybe a good time to tell you that the house we painted together is actually my house. I bought it before we got together”. Uncomfortably announced Matt while Sylvie looked at him curiously.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I started this story in June I wanted to have a plot around the house that Matt bought alone but since then they have been a few stories with a similar plot so I decided to change my initial plan. It'll be mentioned but it will not be a big deal.


End file.
